


Epilogue 1: The Tune Without the Words

by MauveCat



Category: Endless Summer (Visual Novel)
Genre: Childbirth, F/F, Family Feels, Fertility Issues, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-15
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:42:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28774017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MauveCat/pseuds/MauveCat
Summary: Taylor and Estela are trying to grow their family. But nothing worth having ever comes easy.
Relationships: Estela Montoya/Main Character (Endless Summer)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 4





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> And now begins the tying up of loose ends.

Taylor frowned as she pulled into the driveway. Estela’s car was still there – but hadn’t she planned to be at the university all day? Taylor had noticed that her wife was moving slowly that morning and for once, Taylor had been the first one out the door. She’d expected that Estela would leave soon afterward; apparently, she’d decided to stay home instead. Why wouldn’t she have called Taylor if she wasn’t feeling well? Hurrying to the front door, Taylor punched in the security code and let herself inside.

“Estela? Babe?” Taylor’s frown deepened as she closed the door. She dropped her purse and a folder of housing applications on the entryway bench; a quick glance showed her that all of Estela’s shoes were still lined neatly in their usual row, next to her own disordered pile. Estela hadn’t gone on a walk, then. “Where are you?”

After a few tense moments, her wife finally answered from the kitchen. “I’m in here.” Her voice was flat and heavy.

Trying to tamp down her growing alarm, Taylor hurried through the house. “Is anything wrong? I thought you were leaving right after I was,” she said in a rush as she entered the kitchen.

“That was the plan. I decided to call in sick today.” Estela was seated at the kitchen table, gazing somberly into a bowl of ice cream. Both of the cats were sitting near her, with Jeb’s thick orange fluff covering Estela’s feet. Ice cream? Estela had been incredibly disciplined about her food choices ever since they’d returned from their appointment at the Edenbrook fertility clinic in Boston… Taylor halted a little distance away, and she felt her heart sink when she got a better look at Estela’s face. “...Oh.”

Estela nodded. “Yes. Oh. I won’t need to watch what I eat this month, at least.” She lifted a spoonful of half-melted ice cream and stared at it. “My period started this morning. Right on schedule. Hooray for being regular, I suppose.”

Taylor sat down next to her. Canela immediately came over to jump in her lap, and Taylor absently stroked the brown tabby as she searched for words. Awkwardly, she said, “That’s why you weren’t feeling well this morning.”

“I should have known it was just cramps. Ordinary cramps, I mean.” Estela let the spoon drop back to the bowl with a clatter. “I suppose I was hoping it was... I don’t know, ridiculously early morning sickness.” She took a deep breath. “IRIS told us that we shouldn’t expect to get lucky the first time. But... I was hoping that we would,” she finished quietly. Taylor reached out and took her wife’s cold hand in her own. Ever since they’d undergone the procedure, the two of them had repeatedly reminded themselves that IVF didn’t always – in fact, it usually didn’t – work the first time. All the same, Taylor found herself blinking back tears.

When she felt like her voice would remain steady, she asked, “Have... have you called Dr. Ocampo yet?” Estela shook her head. “We should do that, I guess.” Taylor tightened her grip on Estela’s hand. “Are... are you... okay?”

Estela kept her eyes on the melting ice cream as she stirred it aimlessly. “Maybe... maybe we shouldn’t have flown back to La Colina so soon. Do you think – could it be possible that the changes in air pressure during takeoff and landing had something to do with it? And I went for that long run the day before yesterday. I probably pushed myself harder than I should have. Maybe that’s what did it.”

“ _No!_ ” Canela jumped down as Taylor leaned over to take Estela in her arms. “It wasn’t anything you did, sweetheart. It’s just... it didn’t work this time,” she whispered into Estela’s dark hair. “We’ll try again when – when you’re ready. We’ll talk to Dr. Ocampo, and she’ll tell us how long we should wait. We’ll need to be sure....”

“I’ll need to get a negative pregnancy test, you mean,” Estela said heavily as she pulled away. “We... we _could_ try again next month. Dr. Ocampo said that if it didn’t work, I’d need to have at least one period before our next attempt and… I’ve got one now. But we’re going to La Huerta in a few weeks, and it might be... hard. The timing, I mean. And everything else.” She blinked rapidly. “It’s going to be hard.”

Taylor knew immediately that Estela wasn’t just talking about the logistics of hormone treatments and flying to the clinic in Boston. While it had taken some forged paperwork and a bit of high-tech sleight of hand to keep the clinic personnel from realizing how unorthodox their patients’ appointment really was, the actual procedure of removing a few of Taylor’s eggs and infusing them with a combination of Estela’s and her own DNA had only taken a few hours. Then there had been a week of anxious waiting to see if any of the embryos had started to develop before implanting the only viable one, under IRIS’s exacting guidance, within Estela’s womb.

The more pressing issue was that they were a few short weeks away from the annual gathering on La Huerta. It would be the first time either of them would see Grace in person since she and Aleister had announced their pregnancy; their friend – their sister -- would be approaching her third trimester by the time they all gathered for the reunion. Furthermore, Paravet and Mauri’s little son would be there as well, and there would inevitably be a lot of attention surrounding the baby. Even though they’d never discussed it, Taylor knew that she and Estela had both hoped to have an announcement of their own. Choosing her words carefully, Taylor said, “If we decide that we can’t make it this year, I’m sure everyone will understand.”

“They’ll understand that I failed, you mean.” Estela scrubbed a hand across her eyes. She kept talking over Taylor’s attempted protest. “And don’t tell me that I didn’t fail. Don’t you dare tell me how to feel! You don’t know what it’s –” Estela pressed her lips together as her tears finally began to slip through her eyelashes. “I’m sorry, _querida_. I didn’t mean that.”

“I know you didn’t. I wanted us to be pregnant, too,” Taylor murmured as she took Estela’s hand again. She didn’t say – because how could she speak her greatest fear out loud? – that it might have been her fault the pregnancy didn’t take; maybe her eggs simply weren’t viable, no matter how much DNA was imprinted in them. “Come on.” Standing up, Taylor urged Estela to rise as well. “It’s sunny today. Let’s go sit outside for a while.”

With a sigh, Estela gently pulled her hand out of Taylor’s. “I’ll join you out there in a minute. I need to….” She gestured toward the bathroom. “I’ll be right out.”

When she was alone, Taylor took the discarded bowl of ice cream to the sink. Watching the melted sludge disappear down the drain, she fumbled for a dishtowel and wiped away her tears before she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Padre Mateo. She’d promised to start going through the applications from people asking for home repairs that afternoon, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to give the files the attention they deserved for the rest of the day. Then she filled a pitcher with cold water and grabbed two glasses. She stepped out onto the patio and glanced up at the sun. It would be far too warm to sit by the pool; better to stay close to the house, better to stay in the shade.

Letting out a long breath, Taylor put the pitcher and glasses onto a small table before sinking into the deep cushions of the lounge chair. It was past time for lunch but she wasn’t hungry, not even a little bit. She knew Estela wasn’t either. Tilting her head back, she stared at the masses of colorful flowers she and Estela had planted, and she listened to the songbirds chattering in the trees beyond the garden wall, and she tried not to think about the future.

* * *

Biting back a groan, Estela made herself comfortable beneath a palm tree. She could hear the low buzz of conversation and laughter inside the beach house, and she could hear the distant hum of insects in the jungle behind her. As soon as the Catalysts’ plane had landed in San Trobida, she knew by her friends’ studied, deliberate nonchalance that they all knew she and Taylor weren’t pregnant. The two of them had done their best to keep the mood light during the journey to La Huerta and the usual process of settling into their vacation home, but after a few hours of forced smiles and awkward conversation, Estela had slipped outside.

She put a hand on her flat stomach. Grace wasn’t flat. Her belly was swelling to accommodate the child growing inside her. The child... her little girl. Aleister was so excited at the thought of a daughter. Estela swallowed hard. She and Taylor would have had a girl, too.

“Does your stomach hurt? My parents give me tea when my stomach hurts, and sometimes they sing to me. I know a lot of songs so I will sing if it makes you feel better.”

Estela looked up, startled. Xiraana was standing a few feet away, a concerned expression on her little face. Estela tried to smile reassuringly. “No, I’m fine. I just wanted to be by myself for a while.”

“Oh.” Xiraana hesitated, then blurted, “Can I be by myself too? With you?”

“Of course!” Estela laughed a little as she extended a hand to the child. “We can be by ourselves together.”

Xiraana sat down beside Estela. “I thank.” She heaved a deep sigh as she looked at the beach house. “It is noisy in there. Everyone is talking about Halaun. They say how cute he is, and how smart he is. All he is doing is crying. _Again_.” She glanced up at Estela. “He cries all the time. And sometimes he smells.”

“Babies are like that,” Estela said as she put her arm around the little girl. “Remember how Reggie was a tiny baby when you met him? _He_ cried, and _he_ smelled, and remember when he spit up on you? But you decided he was your friend anyway. The same thing will happen with your little brother. You have fun with Halaun, right?”

“Sometimes,” Xiraana agreed grudgingly. “He can walk now – well, a little. He falls down a lot – so I have started teaching him to play toss-stone. He does not listen to the rules, though.”

“That’s too bad. It must be frustrating.”

Xiraana nodded, obviously relieved to be understood. “It is!” She frowned. “What is... fusstate?”

Estela searched for a way to explain. “Well, when you’re frustrated, that means... that things aren’t happening the way you wish they would. You’re a little sad, and a little angry, and a little disappointed. Is that how you feel when Halaun doesn’t understand how the game works?”

“Yes. I am fusstrated.” Xiraana picked up a fallen leaf and stared at it. “And I am worried. Reggie’s mother and father are having a baby. Do you know that?”

Estela sighed. “I do.”

Xiraana turned the leaf over in her hands, examining it from every angle before carefully sticking the stem in the ground. “Reggie is my friend, and I do not want him to be sad. He will have a baby in his house soon. It will cry, and it will smell. Do you think Reggie will be fusstrated about that?”

“He... probably will be, at least at first. It’ll be a big change for him, just like having a brother is a big change for you. But the baby will get bigger, and she’ll learn how to do things just like Halaun is starting to learn things. It won’t be long before Reggie will be able to talk with her and play with her.”

“...Oh.” Xiraana stared at her toes. In a small voice, she asked, “Do... do you think Reggie will like the baby more than he likes me? He will be with her every day.”

Estela stroked Xiraana’s soft, pale green hair. “Oh, _chiquilla_ , no. Reggie is always going to be your friend. When we were on the airplane, all he could talk about was seeing his best friend. That’s you.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Xiraana thought that over, then nodded. “That is good.” She stood up abruptly. “I am done being by myself. Do you want to go inside with me?”

Estela smiled up at her. “Not quite yet, but I’ll be there soon.” By the time she finished speaking, Xiraana was already halfway to the house. She swerved around Taylor, standing at the patio door, as she ran inside. Estela hesitated; then, with a smile, she patted the ground beside her.

Taylor walked slowly across the sand. As she sank down beside Estela, she said, “Are you doing okay?”

Taking Taylor’s hand in hers, Estela leaned back against the tree’s trunk. “I’m fine – really, I’m fine. I just needed to be alone for a few minutes. Everyone is trying so hard to be kind to us, aren’t they?”

“I know.” Taylor relaxed into the arm Estela placed around her shoulders. “And I’m trying so hard to let Aleister and Grace – and everyone else! – know that they can all be thrilled and excited about their baby, and about Halaun, because we’re thrilled and excited too. But all the same....” She trailed off.

Estela rested her head against Taylor’s. “We’re both thrilled and excited for them but we’re both a little sad, and a little angry, and a little disappointed too – and a little jealous, to be honest. We need to give ourselves permission to feel all of that. We just have to hope that our family understands what we’re going through. I believe that they do.”

“I know.” Taylor stretched out her legs. “So what were you and Xiraana talking about?”

“Oh, this and that. Changes, and toss-stone, and babies, and frustration. The usual.”

Taylor laughed. “According to Paravet, her attitude toward her brother changes constantly. One day Halaun is the best thing ever, and then the next day she’ll ask Diego and Varyyn if the baby can live with them until he’s grown up enough to be interesting.” Her smile faded as she looked at the house. “I suppose we should get back in there.”

“I suppose we should.” As both women got to their feet and headed toward the beach house, Estela paused. “Do you think that while we’re here, we could maybe get Michelle alone for a few minutes?” she asked cautiously.

Taylor kept her eyes on the house as she slipped her arm around Estela’s waist. “…Yeah. I’m sure we could.”

“Good.” Estela took a deep breath. “I’d like to ask her and IRIS to start getting things set up in Boston. And when we get back home, I thought maybe we could make an appointment with Dr. Ocampo. If she thinks we’re ready, she can contact Edenbrook and give her okay for us to try again.”

Tightening her embrace, Taylor asked, “The same procedure again? Because... maybe we should start looking at regular IVF instead. I know we’ve only talked to Diego and Varyyn about it in a – a theoretical sense, but they’re both open to Diego being our donor. Trying to use one of my eggs might be too much of a longshot. I... I really don’t want to turn you into a guinea pig again,” she finished softly.

Estela turned Taylor to face her. “Oh, _mi vida,_ no. I _never_ felt like a guinea pig! And yes, I want to try the same procedure again. I want to give it one more shot before we move on to our other options. If… if _you’re_ ready?”

Gazing up at her wife with shining eyes, Taylor breathed, “Yes. We’re ready.”

_Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul_

_And sings the tune without the words and never stops at all. – Emily Dickinson_


	2. Chapter 2

“Hello?” Taylor stood at the bottom of the stairs, listening intently for any response. She didn’t hear footsteps or voices coming from upstairs, just random musical fragments and occasional cursing. She climbed the staircase leading to the townhouse’s main floor and she smiled slightly as she came to the top. Ever since Craig and Zahra had taken ownership of Christina Langenfelt’s abandoned home, they’d definitely put their own stamp on it. According to Michelle, it had once been filled with muted, neutral colors and conservative furniture. Now it was anything but neutral or conservative; the entryway walls were painted a deep, glossy magenta, and the furniture was black velvet and gleaming chrome. Light fixtures made from old vinyl records dangled from the ceiling.

Following her ears, Taylor stepped into the living room. Zahra was seated cross-legged on the floor with her back against the huge emerald green sectional that took up most of the room. She was twanging away on a guitar and there was an oversized mug of coffee – mostly empty, thankfully, considering the plush white rug – perched precariously on the ottoman beside her. “Did Estela go out?” Taylor asked as she moved aside a game controller to sit down near Zahra. There was a bridal magazine next to it, dozens of sticky notes fluttering around the edges; Taylor bit back a smile at the thought of the comments Zahra might be making on any potential bridesmaid gowns that Michelle was considering.

Zahra kept her eyes on her guitar “Your wife was getting twitchy while you were in the shower so Craig took her for a walk,” Zahra mumbled around the pencil clenched between her teeth. She strummed a chord and scowled; she shifted her fingers slightly and hit another chord, then a short sequence of notes. Apparently satisfied, she took her pencil and scribbled a few lines on the scrap of paper on her knee. “The words still need some work, but at least the music is coming together,” she muttered as she put her guitar aside. She gave Taylor a quick glance. “You’re twitchy too. I need a refill – you coming?” Grabbing her mug, she got up and walked to the kitchen.

“Drinking caffeine as a remedy for the jitters? That’s a new one.”

“What, you never heard of the hair of the dog?” Zahra said over her shoulder. “It hasn’t failed me yet.”

Smiling in spite of herself, Taylor followed the other woman to the other room. “I thought I was hiding my nerves pretty well.”

“It’s cute that you think that.” Zahra smirked as she topped up her own mug and filled one for Taylor as well. “Here. You know where the cream and sugar are.”

Once her coffee was adjusted to her liking, Taylor joined Zahra at the table. “It looks like you and Craig are settling in pretty well here.”

Zahra shrugged. “It’s okay. It’s a lot bigger than our old place, that’s for sure. I admit that I had my doubts about moving in, but it’s working out okay. It’s a big change – the TV actually took up an entire wall in our old living room. I guess the kitchen’s okay. I still mostly use the microwave, but Raj is threatening to teach me to make something on the actual stove every time he visits. And having more than one bedroom makes it a lot easier for people to crash with us – you heard that Craig’s little brother is spending a week here at Christmas, right?”

“Let me guess.” Taylor grinned as she stirred her coffee. “Craig’s still keeping up his campaign to make sure Joey doesn’t pick a college in Michigan, isn’t he?”

“You got it. I keep telling him that the kid’s got a couple years before he needs to decide, but Scrublord really wants him to pick a school close to us. I thought he was gonna cry – literally – when Joey mentioned some college in Iowa. We’ve still got some cheesecake left over from last night – you want some?” Without waiting for an answer, Zahra grabbed two plates and headed for the refrigerator. “I was dying for a piece earlier but I felt weird about eating it while Estela had her bowl of twigs and straw.” She gave Taylor a sharp look. “So I guess nothing happened last night or this morning, huh?”

“Nothing.” Taylor shook her head, trying to control the glimmer of hope in her heart. Estela’s period was two days late; according to her meticulous tracking, that hadn’t happened since she was a teenager. “It doesn’t mean she’s pregnant, though.”

“Yeah, I know.” Zahra set a thick wedge of cheesecake in front of Taylor. “Here’s some fudge sauce too. Might as well gorge ourselves.” As she drizzled chocolate over her cheesecake, she added, “Got a text from Quinn this morning. She was gonna send you and Estela one too, but she figured you guys would be... well, twitchy, so she told me to pick a time to tell you when you didn’t seem _too_ twitchy, and she’s gonna call us all later with updates but we have to let her know when’s a good time. It was a long text. Anyway. She and Mike and Jake are all headed up to Shreveport.”

Taylor sighed. “I guess that means they’re finally going to tell Jake’s parents about... well, everything. I wish we could be there to support them.”

“I don’t think it’d go any easier for them with all of us crowded into Jake’s folks’ living room.” But Zahra looked unhappy too. “It’s gonna be a tough sell – ‘hey, guys, you remember my girlfriend, right? And you know how we all thought Mike was dead? Surprise! And the three of us are hooking up. What’s for lunch?’ Like I said, tough sell. Even if they stick to the line about Mike going deep undercover and that’s why Jake thought he was dead, the McKenzies aren’t stupid and they’re gonna have a _lot_ of questions. I know we all got really good at not answering questions after La Huerta, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy for them. Mike’s not dead, Jake’s in a poly relationship with him and Quinn – that’s a lot to digest.”

“It almost makes my life look simple,” Taylor agreed ruefully.

“Almost,” Zahra said around a mouthful of cheesecake. “So what’s your plan? And I’m not hinting that me and Craig want you out of here – you and Estela can hang out with us as long as you want. But did Michelle and IRIS give you any idea on your timeline?”

“Well....” Taylor pushed her half-finished cheesecake away. “It’s been ten days since we had the procedure done, and IRIS told us that Estela’s hormone levels would start changing somewhere between six to twelve days after. She said we should wait at least ten days before taking a test, though. Estela’s period is already two days late, and that hasn’t happened since she was sixteen. Even when she was in the hospital after –” She gestured at her eye, mimicking Estela’s scar. “Her period started right on time. Michelle said that she’d give Estela a blood test as soon as we want one, but... um, we kind of plan on picking up a home test today and we’re going to use it tomorrow morning.”

Zahra reached for Taylor’s plate. “You gonna finish that?” When Taylor shook her head, Zahra took a forkful. “That’s what me and Craig figured would happen. Just wanna lay down one ground rule, though – if you pee on anything while you’re here, you’d better not tell me about it. Deal?”

Laughing, Taylor lifted her coffee cup in a toast. “Deal.”

* * *

Taylor’s eyes flew open as she felt movement in the bed beside her. “Estela?”

“You weren’t asleep either, were you?” her wife asked softly.

“No.” Taylor cupped Estela’s cheek in the palm of her hand. “I think I dropped off for a while around three, but I kept dreaming about armadillo gunfighters in the Old West. It wasn’t very restful.”

Estela laughed. “I bet it wasn’t, but Craig will be happy that the new game we tested for him stuck in your mind.” Lifting her head, she looked at the clock. “It’s five o’clock. Do... do you think... is now a good time?”

Taylor sat up, as did Estela. “I... suppose that depends on your bladder.”

“Well, considering that Zahra kept refilling my water glass for me last night – and I promise not to tell her that I noticed – my bladder is more than ready. I’m not sure that I am, though,” Estela finished in a small voice.

“We could wait,” Taylor answered at once. “We could do it later, if you want, or we could have Michelle set up that blood test.”

Estela shook her head. “I’m not sure if I’ll be any more prepared in few hours or even tomorrow. And anyway, according to the directions, the hormone levels are easiest to detect first thing in the morning.” She switched on the bedside lamp and carefully picked up the pregnancy test. Even though she and Taylor had gone over the directions so many times the previous night that they could both probably recite the instructions from memory, she opened the little booklet and read it over. “It’s hardly complicated. Pee, wash hands, wait. I think we can handle that.”

“I know we can,” Taylor whispered as she embraced her wife. “Do you... um, do you want me to come in there with you?”

Wrapping her arms around Taylor’s neck, Estela laughed a little breathlessly. “I love you, _mi vida_... but no. I’ll be right out.” After a deep, almost desperate kiss, Estela got out of bed and slipped into the bathroom.

Grabbing her phone off the nightstand, Taylor set the timer. Three minutes. She stared at the screen, ready to tap the start button the second the bathroom door opened. In a few minutes, she and Estela would know... unless they didn’t. The test might be more accurate in a day or two, and a blood test would be more accurate still. And if the test was negative... well, that wasn’t the end. They could try regular IVF next, and Padre Mateo had assured her that none of the local adoption agencies, no matter what their feelings about same-sex couples might be, would dare refuse a child to the niece of Nicolas Montoya. She and Estela would still have options. They would. They –

The toilet flushed. Water ran in the bathroom, and then it stopped. The door flew open and Estela stood there, frozen with the little plastic stick cradled tenderly in her shaking hands. “We need to put it on something flat. What’s flat?” she demanded.

“Nightstand,” Taylor gasped as she started the timer – she’d almost forgotten she was holding her phone – and got out of bed. “Put it on my nightstand.”

Estela laid the test down, then snatched her hands away. “Are you timing it?”

“I am, I am. Three minutes.” Clutching her phone in one hand, Taylor put an arm around Estela’s waist. “No, no, don’t stare at it. That won’t help. Come on, sweetie,” she said in a trembling voice as she pulled Estela toward the bed. “Let’s sit down.”

Almost gulping for breath, Estela nodded and sank down. She was silent for a few heartbeats, and then she murmured, “I hope I did it right.”

“I know you did. You’re brilliant, you’re so strong, I _know_ you did it right.” Taylor knew she was babbling. She didn’t care. Wrapping her arms around her wife and rocking her a little, Taylor buried her face in Estela’s shoulder, trying not to count her heartbeats.

Estela sniffled. “I want this so _bad_ , Taylor.”

“Me too. Oh, sweetie, me too.” Both women stiffened at the cheerful pinging of Taylor’s phone. “Is that it? It can’t be three minutes already.” But it was. Switching off the timer, Taylor looked into Estela’s wide eyes. “I love you.” Estela just nodded as she reached for the pregnancy test. Both women looked at the little display. Estela pressed a hand against her mouth. Finally, her voice shaking, Taylor said, “So... that’s it?”

Estela nodded. “That’s it. No fireworks, no music, no confetti, just....” She put her hand on her stomach and laughed in wonder as her tears began to fall. “Just... a baby.”

“We’re... having a baby.” Taylor could barely hear her own voice over the pounding of her heart. “We’re having a baby!” she shouted. Laughing and crying, she flung her arms around Estela. They clung tightly to one another until Taylor’s phone chimed. Wiping her eyes, she picked it up and read the incoming text, then showed it to Estela. Raising her voice, she called through Estela’s laughter, “Yes, Craig, you can come in.”

A second later, footsteps pounded down the stairs and the door burst open. “Oh my God, guys!” Craig launched himself onto the bed, hugging Taylor and Estela against his broad chest. “You’re having a baby!”

“Yes, we know,” Estela chuckled as she kissed Craig’s cheek.

Walking into the bedroom, Zahra tried not to smile. “Please notice how I’m _not_ saying that Player Two here has been sitting at the top of the stairs since four o’clock waiting for the toilet to flush. You washed your hands, right? – oh, shit, group hug time. _Fine._ ” Zahra grumbled as Taylor yanked her onto the bed. “But I’ll tell you the same thing I told Grace: I hope you don’t expect me to play any stupid baby shower games.”


	3. Chapter 3

With a grimace, Estela readjusted the pillow behind her back and shifted her hips. “Grace... what if I can’t do it?”

Through the phone, she heard her sister-in-law’s reassuring voice. “Sweetie, I know exactly how you feel but trust me – no matter what, it’s going to be fine. The first time the baby’s ready to nurse, there’ll be someone right there to talk you through it. The odds are that your baby will latch right on and she’ll start sucking away. That’s what happened with Reggie, and I thought it would be the same with Immy. It wasn’t... and that’s okay! We couldn’t ever figure out why, but I wasn’t making enough milk for her. She’s doing just fine on formula, though, and she’s hitting all of her benchmarks and milestones. Yes, I was worried about not breastfeeding her, but our pediatrician said the important thing, after making sure she was getting the right nutrients, was that Aleister and I were both relaxed and confident while we fed her. And between you and me? I think Aleister’s just a little bit happy about it since he can take a more active role in feeding her.”

“That’s a good point.” Estela looked at the framed photograph on the wall, and she smiled. It was one of the hundreds of photos that had been taken at Sean and Michelle’s wedding. This one centered on Estela and Aleister, flanked by Grace and Taylor. All three women were wearing their bridesmaid’s dresses – Michelle had chosen a gold satin damask for all of them, but she’d asked her attendants to design their own gowns (or, in Zahra’s case, a tuxedo) to account for their wildly different tastes – and Aleister was proudly holding baby Imogen, plump and bald and chortling in her tiny gold dress. Estela had just started to show when the picture was taken. And now... rubbing a hand over her huge belly, Estela sighed. “It’s just that we were talking about it in my birthing class, and one of the other mothers – let’s say that she had some very strong opinions about women who don’t breastfeed and I’ve been worrying ever since.”

“Well, if she gives you any more grief about it, let me know and I’ll fly to San Trobida so you can translate while I read her to filth,” Grace said cheerfully.

Estela had to laugh at the thought; she could easily imagine her tiny sister-in-law doing precisely that. “Thank you, _chica_.” She sighed. “I suppose I should get going... I need to take another walk and I want to talk to our neighbor again about feeding the cats when the time comes, but I want to finish organizing the linen closet first.”

“I thought you said you did that last week?”

“Oh, I did. But you know how we moved a bassinet into our bedroom until the baby’s ready to move into her nursery? Well, I decided that it would make things easier if we emptied out a drawer and put extra sheets in there. So that left an empty space in the linen closet and I’m shifting things around again. And maybe Diego could help Taylor move the changing table to the other side of the room – that way we could keep the hamper right next to it. We’re right above the laundry room, actually. I wonder if it would be hard to install a chute in the wall?”

“Babies always make a lot more laundry than you’d expect,” Grace said absently. “You have a bag packed for the hospital, right?”

“I have two identical bags, actually – one is sitting by the front door, and the other is in the trunk of Taylor’s car.”

“Good plan. You’re down to two weeks now, so you need to be ready.”

_Ten days,_ Estela thought to herself, and her heart skipped. “I know. And Dr. Ocampo said that it looks like the little one is starting to move a little, so I’m supposed to waddle around the neighborhood at least once a day to help jiggle her into place.”

Grace laughed. “She didn’t really say _that_ , did she?”

“Oh, she did. ‘Waddle like a duck,’ to be precise. She’s been delivering babies for longer than I’ve been alive, and she gave up pretending that there’s anything dignified about it a long time ago. Believe it or not, it’s reassuring.”

“I know what you mean. All right, Estela, I’ll let you get back to your organizing and I’ll text later to check up on you.”

“Sounds good. Love you, Grace.” Once the call was ended, Estela began the process of struggling out of the rocking chair. She frowned at the bassinet. It seemed all right, but she should probably have Taylor check the legs one more time to make sure they were fastened tightly enough. Putting a hand on the small of her back – it had been aching all day, which wasn’t surprising considering that it felt like she was carrying a bushel of watermelons in front of her – she walked slowly down the stairs and into the kitchen. She frowned as she saw Diego peering around the corner leading to the living room; he had his phone out, and he was filming something. “What –?” Without looking around, Diego waved a hand at her in a shushing gesture. Her curiosity aroused, Estela came to stand behind him and she looked carefully around the corner as well.

Taylor was seated on the couch, frowning in concentration. “Okay, you little jerk, just hold still. It’s almost... there. I think that should hold.” Taking the blanket-wrapped bundle in her arms, she got to her feet slowly. “Is that comfortable?”

“I don’t know if it’s comfortable for the cat, but for us? _Hilarious._ ”

Jumping at Diego’s voice, Taylor whirled around. “Oh, crap. How long were you watching?” Snug within his green flannel cocoon, Jeb blinked lazily before yawning and wriggling one orange paw out of the blanket.

“Long enough to capture this moment for posterity,” Diego answered. “When you said you needed some swaddling practice, I thought you meant on a teddy bear or a doll or something.”

“Dolls don’t move around and I thought – what are you doing?” Taylor demanded in alarm.

Diego grinned at her. “Whoops. I just accidentally sent the video to the entire group chat.”

Walking around him, Estela laughed as she went to the couch and helped Taylor unwrap their cat. “It’s a good thing you didn’t try this on Canela.”

“I wanted something that wiggled, not something that would scratch me and yowl like all the demons in hell.” Taylor glared at Diego in feigned irritation as Jeb slipped out of her arms and sat at her feet, calmly grooming himself. “You’re on thin ice, buddy – do you want to lose your best friend privileges?”

“You can’t scare me. I’ve still got godfather privileges, so I think I’ll be fine.”

“Maybe, but don’t push your luck. …Estela? Are you okay?”

Estela looked up from the baby blanket, a little startled. “Hmm? Oh… I’m fine. Really, _querida_ , I’m fine.” She shook out the rest of the cat hair before loosely folding the blanket. “I was trying to remember what I planned to do before I came downstairs. My attention span is getting worse by the day,” she finished with a laugh.

“Pregnancy brain,” Diego agreed cheerfully as he and Taylor helped Estela ease herself down onto the couch. “One of my cousins had it so bad that her whole house was covered with notes taped to the walls, to the refrigerator, to her husband’s forehead – seriously, by the time her due date came around, she couldn’t remember anything that wasn’t directly related to the baby and even then, there were no guarantees.”

“Just as long as this mental fog doesn’t… ah, _mierda,_ ” Estela grumbled. She held out her hands. “Okay, hoist me up again. I need to go to the bathroom.” Once on her feet, she shook her head in exasperation. “When I’m done with that, do you two feel like steering me around the neighborhood before it gets too hot? Maybe some fresh air will clear my head.”

“You got it, babe.” When Estela had left the room, Taylor flopped onto the couch. “She’s the one doing all the work. Why am I so exhausted?”

“Because you’re doing your own work,” Diego said as he read through a text on his phone. “And you’re both doing great. You’re in the home stretch now – before long, you’ll be parents.”

Taylor groaned. “Which is utterly terrifying. And I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that Nicolas has his brigade of lady friends organized as honorary aunties. On one hand, neither of us has a mother we can go to for advice. On the other hand, well….”

“On the other hand, you’ll have a bunch of highly-opinionated _tias_ giving the two of you all kinds of advice, a lot of it contradictory,” Diego said in sympathy. “On the bright side, though, Grace said she was heading down here as soon as the baby is born and even if she doesn’t speak a word of Spanish, she’ll be able to keep them in line. Besides her, IRIS said she’d be on call twenty-four-seven. And besides _them_ – and please act surprised when you find out – Raj is working on a schedule so everyone can visit once the baby is born, without all of us coming at the same time and overwhelming you. There’s a chore chart and everything. And as for me, sorry to break it to you like this, but I’m here for the duration.”

“Diego, I think you’re the only thing keeping me from existing in a state of perpetual panic. I really appreciate that you’re willing to be apart from Varyyn for so long.”

“I’ll level with you – he still gets anxious about me leaving La Huerta, but it’s a lot more manageable now that he knows there’s no threat from Rourke or Lundgren.” Diego made himself comfortable. “And anyway, this is about family and that’s something that a Vaanti accepts without question. He’d like to be here too, but it’d be almost impossible for him to dodge Nicolas and right now, Estela needs her uncle nearby as often as possible. He’ll have his chance to meet the baby soon enough.”

Sighing, Taylor ran her hands through her hair. “Estela and I both hate that we’ll miss the reunion this year.”

“It’s being postponed, not cancelled. We can’t exactly have it the usual week – either Estela will be a few days away from delivering, or you’ll have a brand-new baby and none of you will be in any condition to travel. We’ll pick whatever date works for you two. For you three.” Diego stretched his arms above his head. “And I know you said that you’re looking forward to going to that reception with me tonight, but I’ll totally understand if you decide to skip it so you can stay home with Estela.”

Taylor gave him a tired laugh. “Estela and I talked about that this morning, actually, and I’m basically under orders to get out of the house for a few hours – Nicolas is coming over so she won’t be alone. She’s really proud of the film studies program you helped her set up for the university and if she can’t be there, she wants me to represent the family... at least for a little while.”

“I’ll scope out all the escape routes as soon as we get there in case you want to leave in a hurry,” Diego said as he put an arm around her. “But until then, I’ll make sure you have a good time.”

* * *

“Okay, Diego... I hope you weren’t fibbing when you talked about escape routes earlier,” Taylor said through a fixed smile as she took a sip of her wine.

Diego laughed softly. “I tried to warn you that Markus is an experience.”

“Disneyworld is an experience. Fifteen minutes with Markus von Groot is like falling headfirst into a blender. Why did anyone invite him?”

Laughing again, Diego guided Taylor through the crowd toward one of the refreshment tables. “No one ever invites Markus anywhere. No one needs to – he hears about something that sparks his interest, and he shows up and he always refuses to understand that he doesn’t have a good reason to be there. Once word got out that Matt and Julio Rodriguez would both be in San Trobida scouting movie locations, it was inevitable that he’d use the reception as an excuse to be here too. He’s still trying to get Matt to star in that World War Two movie he was talking about.”

“He really thinks Matt Rodriguez would play a shape-shifting alien who’s impersonating Winston Churchill? The notion might – and that’s a _big_ might – work as a satire, but it sounds like he intends to play it straight.”

“He really does.”

“Well, that –” Taylor froze as she felt her phone vibrate. Fumbling it out of her purse, she looked at the screen and her eyes widened. “It’s Estela.”

After a moment, Diego said, “You should probably answer it, then. Or do you want me to?”

“No, no.” It took Taylor two attempts, but she finally managed to accept the call. “Sweetie, are you... what? It _what_?” She stared at Diego. “Her mucus plug fell out a few minutes ago. Estela, are you sure – okay, okay, you’re sure. She’s sure,” Taylor told Diego.

“First of all, ew. I _really_ didn’t need to know that. Secondly, we have plenty of time – maybe even a couple of days, but let’s get out of here anyway.” Plucking the wine glass from Taylor’s nerveless fingers and setting it aside, Diego reached for her purse and fished out the car keys. “You only had a little wine but even if you were stone cold sober, you’re in no shape to drive.” He put an arm around Taylor’s shoulders, and he frowned when she remained rooted to the ground. “Taylor? What’s wrong?”

Barely able to speak, Taylor managed to get out, “Her... her water just broke. There’s not a lot, but... her water definitely broke.”

“Oh- _kay_. Going a little quicker than usual, but we still don’t need to panic. Give me the phone for a second.... Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?... I know, I’m sorry. You’re doing great. Is your uncle nearby?... Well, tell him to stop running around and hand the phone to him real quick.... Nicolas? We’re on our way. Has she had a contraction yet?... No, that’s fine. Believe me, you’d both know if she had one. We’re twenty minutes away from home, and home’s only fifteen minutes away from the hospital.” Diego finally got Taylor moving. “So make Estela comfortable and we’ll be there soon. ...Yeah, I’m sure. I come from a ridiculously fertile family and I’ve been around one of my best friends both times she was in labor. Estela’s not going to have the baby before we come home and we’ll get her to the hospital in plenty of time. Trust me. Now put Estela back on the phone.” He passed the phone back to Taylor. “Keep her calm – and _you_ keep calm. Let’s get to the car and... oh, hell.” He stopped short.

“Diego, my friend! You walked away so quickly, and I was not finished with our conversation. I need you to confirm something for me. Attila the Hun was a Pisces, no?”

Taylor gaped up at Markus von Groot. “...What?”

The Dutch director looked down at her benevolently. “I accept your surprise. Most people naturally assume that he was born under the sign of Cancer. These people are silly _dwaasheiden._ ”

Diego tried to steer Taylor around him. “You know, that’s an interesting theory. Why don’t you send me an email and I’ll get back to you?”

“Ah, but I already sent one and you didn’t answer it. I need to –”

“We don’t have time for this! My wife is having a baby!” Taylor snapped.

Von Groot’s eyes widened in interest. “But... that is excellent news! I’ll film it for you, of course – I will capture the moment the squalling infant emerges like an angry stoat leaving its burrow.”

“That’s great.” Diego grabbed the fist Taylor drew back before she could launch it at the other man’s nose. “They’re... actually having a water birth and we were just leaving to set up a birthing pool down at the beach. Why don’t you get your camera ready and meet us down there in an hour or two?”

“Wonderful. Fortunately, I never travel without my own klieg lights. You will not regret this!” Flinging his long white scarf over his shoulder, von Groot turned on his heel and strode through the crowd.

Diego took Taylor’s arm and hustled her in the opposite direction. “Let’s get out of here before he realizes that La Colina has a dozen beaches. If we’re lucky, by the time he figures out that he can’t find us he’ll be obsessing about something entirely different.”

“Diego, thank – no, Estela, everything is fine. We’re on our way,” Taylor said breathlessly into the phone as they stepped outside. “...Yeah, he said like a stoat. No, I didn’t punch him. Diego wouldn’t let me.” Taylor glanced over at Diego as he helped her into the car. “Estela says thank you.”

“ _De nada._ ” Diego slid behind the wheel and looked at a glowing panel on the dashboard. “You there, IRIS?”

The AI’s smooth British voice came through the car’s speakers as Diego pulled out of the parking lot. “I am indeed. Estela used her smartwatch to contact me as soon as her water broke. It’s a bit difficult to communicate with her since poor Nicolas keeps running in and out of the room, but I’ve been monitoring her vitals and the baby’s. They’re both doing very well, Taylor, and I’ve alerted both the hospital and Dr. Ocampo. She’s making sure there’ll be a room ready as soon as Estela arrives. She says to call her once Estela’s contractions start, and she’ll come to the hospital then.”

“Hang on a minute, sweetie,” Taylor said into the phone. “I’ll be right back.” Once she’d muted the call, Taylor leaned toward the dashboard. “It’s too early. Should we call an ambulance?” she demanded.

“There’s no need to rush and there’s certainly no cause for panic,” IRIS said soothingly. “Yes, it’s a few days early, but not distressingly so. Forty weeks is the ideal gestational period, but your baby is at thirty-eight and a half weeks and all of her vitals are very strong. She’s simply in a bit of a hurry to meet her parents. All right, Diego, turn left here. I’m in the city’s traffic control systems so you won’t be bothered by any red lights. ...No, dear, you don’t need to speed. I can control the traffic lights, but a ticket would be very inconvenient at the moment. I believe Grace told you the baby might be coming sooner than expected?”

“Yeah, she sent me a text this morning.” Diego gave Taylor an apologetic smile. “Didn’t want to worry you, hon, but Grace noticed during their conversation that Estela was in serious nesting mode. She thought that meant the baby was a few days away, not a few hours. That’s why I asked if you wanted to skip tonight. But we’re only –” He glanced at the GPS display. “We’re fourteen minutes from your place. It’s going to be fine.”

Drawing a shaky breath, Taylor went back to the phone. “I’m back, darling. We’re in the car and only a few minutes away. IRIS says that you and the baby are both doing great. Just hang on, okay? Just... hang on. Wait for me. _Please._ ”

* * *

“She has your eyes,” Nicolas said in a broken voice as he stared at the tiny bundle in his arms.

“For now.” Taylor looked over from the hospital bed. Estela sat cuddled against her side, exhausted but unwilling to fall asleep yet. “A lot of babies are born with blue eyes and they change color later.”

Estela shook her head with weary certainty. “No. They’ll stay blue. As bright and beautiful as the sky.”

The baby made a little grumbling sound. Sniffing hard, Nicolas tried to use his shoulder to wipe away his tears. “Are you tired of this old man? Do you want Tio Coco to take you to your mamas, _bonita_?” Nicolas stood and, as carefully as if he were walking a tightrope, he brought the baby to the bed and tenderly placed her in Estela’s waiting arms. He leaned over and kissed Taylor’s cheek, and then his niece’s. “Your mother would be so proud of you, _chiquilla_ ,” he whispered.

“I miss her, Tio. As happy as I am right now, I miss Mama more than ever.”

“I know.” Nicolas brushed a fingertip against the dark wisps of hair escaping from a little white knit hat. “You are very good at making tiny things, Taylor.” He looked around as the door opened slowly.

Entering the room, Diego squeezed Nicolas’s shoulder. “I just ran into your friend Sofia downstairs. She’s in the cafeteria and I don’t think she’s going anywhere until she sees some baby pictures.”

“Ah, Sofia. She’s a pushy old thing, but I’m rather fond of her so I think I’ll try to stay on her good side. I’ll be back soon, Estelita.” With a final kiss to the top of Estela’s head, Nicolas left the room.

“Sofia just happened to show up at the hospital, huh?” Taylor asked as Diego sat down on the foot of the bed.

He shrugged. “When I went to your place to make sure that Javi Castillo knows he’s on cat duty for a few days, I saw her phone number on your fridge. I figured Nicolas would be ready for a distraction. How are you doing, Estela?”

“I feel like I could sleep for a month… and like I never want to close my eyes. I can’t stop looking at her. I don’t see how I’ll ever get anything done.”

“Well, you won’t need to do anything but sleep and look at your daughter for a while – that goes for you too, Taylor. According to Sofia, the _tia_ brigade is stuffing your kitchen full of enough meals to last until this one goes off to college. And I talked to Grace. She should be on a plane by now, and she’ll call me when it’s time to pick her up at the airport. Aleister will follow with the kids next week. He says not to worry about hosting them; he’s booking a hotel suite. He’s already hired a cleaning service for the next three months, and he’ll extend it for a few more months if you want it. I also talked to hospital security and if Markus shows up with his camera, they’ll toss him out.”

Estela laughed without taking her eyes off her sleeping daughter. “Thank you, _hermano_. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

“Oh, yeah? If I’m really so indispensable, why won’t you tell me the baby’s name?” Diego answered teasingly.

Taylor laughed, but she waited for Estela’s nod before she went on. “Everyone always knew we were having a girl because there’s not a single Y chromosome between the two of us, but we wanted to have something to surprise everyone with. Well, almost everyone. Aleister and Grace know her middle name. We cleared it with them to make sure they weren’t planning to use the name. While IRIS was alive, her name was Imogen Beatrice Winfield. We wouldn’t have this gorgeous girl without her. And so, Diego Ricardo Ortiz Soto, allow me to present your goddaughter: Esperanza Beatriz Montoya y Jardin. And before you ask, we flipped a coin to decide the order of the last names.”

“Awww.” Diego smiled softly at the baby. “Esperanza... that was Abuelita’s name. Thank you.”

“We wanted to commemorate you in her name, and it seemed right. This little one... she’s our hope for the future,” Estela whispered. “Our Esperanza.”


End file.
